Day: April 22, 2026

Posted in THE 4 LAST THINGS : HEAVEN By Fr Martin von Cochem, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 22 April – On the Number of the Saved 2

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Thought for the Day – 22 April – During this Season of Alleluias and Joy, we will consider Fr von Cochem’s Reflections upon our Heavenly Homeland.

Excerpts from THE FOUR LAST THINGS —- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN
FR MARTIN VON COCHEM (1625-1712) OSFC .

Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead, Censor Liborium
Imprimatur: Michael Augustine — Archbishop of New York (New York 5 Oct 1899)

PART IV
ON HEAVEN

IV:2 On the Number of the Saved

Now because Christ knew that these words of His would be misinterpreted and understood in a false sense by both believers and unbelievers, on another occasion He accentuated and emphasised what He had already said concerning the small number of the Elect.
For when one of the disciples asked Him: “Lord, are they few who shall be saved?”
He answered and said: “Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for I say unto you, many shall seek to enter and shall not be able” (Luke xiii. 24).

Listen to the Words of the Divine Teacher. He bids us strive, take trouble, make use of all our powers, in order to enter unto the narrow gate.
And what is still more calculated to appal, He adds that many shall seek to enter and shall not be able!

If those who desire and endeavour to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, fail to do so, what will become of those who lead a careless, perhaps an Godless life and manifest no zeal, no interest in what concerns their eternal salvation?

We have already heard Christ declare 3 times, the number of the Elect is small; that in proportion to the great mass of mankind only a few will be saved.
And because He was aware that we should not take this weighty truth to heart, as we ought,, He reiterates it in yet more explicit language.

After He had told a rich man who came to Him, to leave all his possessions and follow Him and the man had gone away sorrowful, He said, addressing His disciples: “How hardly shall they who have riches enter into the Kingdom of God!?
And the disciples were astonished at His words.
But Jesus again answering saith: Children, how hard it is for them who trust in riches to enter into the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. Then the disciples wondered the more, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
And Jesus looking on them saith: With men it is impossible but not with God; for all things are possible unto God” (Mark x. 23-27).

Truly these words, coming from the lips of our Divine Master, are enough to inspire us with profound alarm; they are almost enough to cause us to despair.
For they expressly tell us that the work of our salvation is a work of immense difficulty, an almost miraculous achievement and it is well-nigh impossible for poor humanity to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is in reality, as much of a miracle for a man to escape everlasting perdition and to attain eternal felicity, as it would be for one man, single-handed, to vanquish and put to flight, a whole army.

For all the powers of Hell are leagued, together with the wicked world, against us; all the powers of Hell put their forces in array in order to conquer and enslave everyone of us mortals.
And with the awful powers of darkness, the evil, crafty world makes common cause and the concupiscences of the flesh, do the same, for the purpose of completing our ruin!

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, QUOTES on DEATH, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on POVERTY, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St Francis de Sales, St JOSEPH, The HOLY GHOST

Quote/s of the Day – 22 April – St Joseph

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Quote/s of the Day – 22 April – The Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph Confessoris

“So, taking Christ’s genealogy from Joseph –
a husband in chastity,
he was father in the same way. …
Are you saying that he did not conceive Jesus
through the operation of nature?
Well then, what the Holy Spirit operated,
He did for them both.
For Joseph was “a just man,” Matthew tells us (1:19).
Both husband and wife were just.
The Holy Spirit dwelt within their mutual justice
and gave each of them, a Son!”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

“How faithful in humility was the great Saint
we are celebrating!
That cannot be said in all its perfection,
for, in spite of what he was,
in what poverty and lowliness he lived,
all the days of his life – a poverty and lowliness
beneath which. he kept hidden and concealed,
his great virtues and dignity! …
Truly, I am free of doubt that the Angels came,
beside themselves with admiration, rank upon rank,
to behold and wonder at his humility,
while he sheltered that dearest Child
in the poor workshop where he worked at his employment,
so as to feed the little Boy and the Mother entrusted to him.”

“Behold, the Angel of the Lord
appeared to him in his sleep …”
Matthew 1:20

“And what wisdom did he not have? 
For God gave him his most glorious Son to care for …
the universal Prince of Heaven and earth …
Nevertheless, you can see how low
and humbled he was brought,
more than can be said or imagined …
he went to his own Country and Town of Bethlehem
and none but he was turned away from all those inns …
Notice how the Angel turns him about with both hands.
He tells him he has to go to Egypt and he goes;
he orders him to return and he returns.
God wants him to be always poor …
and he submits to it with love and, not only for a while,
for he was poor his whole life long!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

“St Joseph is the Universal Patron of the Church.
We, who are loved children of the Church
should invoke his special intercession,
therefore, for the triumph and expansion
of the Kingdom of God upon earth.
… If we are loyal sons of the Church,
we should pray that She may triumph.
We should ask for the special intercession
of St Joseph, Her Heavenly Patron.”

“We shall come to the end of our lives too,
perhaps sooner than we imagine.
Let us ask the Holy Patriarch
for the favour of a happy death.
Let us ask him to ensure that Jesus and Mary
will help us too, when we are leaving this world.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

Posted in franciscan OFM, MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, MARIAN QUOTES, ONE Minute REFLECTION, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St JOSEPH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 April – ‘Is he not a man chosen and set apart?’

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One Minute Reflection – 22 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – The Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph Confessoris – Genesis 49:22-26;  Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“And Jesus, Himself, was beginning about the age of thirty years, being – (as it was supposed) – the son of Joseph … ” – Luke 3:23

REFLECTION – “There is a general rule, concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the Divine favour chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen, with all the gifts of the Spirit, needed to fulfil the task at hand.

This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the Foster-Father of our Lord and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the Angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy Guardian and Protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his Divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.

What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honourably introduced into the world. Holy Church, in its entirety, is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her, it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her, we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph.

In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of Patriarchs and Prophets to its promised fulfilment. What the Divine Goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms. Obviously, Christ does not now deny to Joseph that intimacy, reverence and very high honour which He gave him on earth, as a son to his father. Rather, we must say that in Heaven, Christ completes and perfects, all that He gave at Nazareth.

Now, we can see ,how the last summoning words of the Lord appropriately apply to Saint Joseph – Enter into the joy of your Lord. In fact, although the joy of eternal happiness enters into the soul of a man, the Lord preferred to say to Joseph – Enter into joy. His intention was, that the words should have a hidden spiritual meaning for us. They convey, not only that this holy man possesses an inward joy but also, that it surrounds him and engulfs him, like an infinite abyss.

Remember us, Saint Joseph and plead for us to your Foster-Child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the Mother of Him, Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, lives and reigns eternally. Amen.” – St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444) (An excerpt on his Sermon 2 of St Joseph).

PRAYER – God, Who in thine unspeakable foreknowledge didst choose Thy blessed servant Joseph, to be the husband of Thine Own most holy Mother; mercifully grant that now that he is in Heaven with Thee, we who on earth do reverence him for our Defender, may worthily be helped by the succour of his prayers to Thee on our behalf. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in MARCH the month of ST JOSEPH, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS & NOVENA to St Joseph, PRAYERS TO St Joseph, PRAYERS to the SAINTS, St JOSEPH

Our Morning Offering – 22 April – Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail! By Fr Faber

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Our Morning Offering – 22 April – The Solemnity of St Joseph, Spouse of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Patron of the Universal Church.

Hail, Holy Joseph, Hail!
By Father Frederick William Faber CO (1814-1863)

Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Chaste spouse of Mary hail!
Pure as the lily flow’r
In Eden’s peaceful vale.
Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Prince of the house of God!
May His best graces be
By thy sweet hands bestowed.

Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Comrade of Angels, hail!
Cheer thou the hearts that faint,
And guide the steps that fail.
Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
God’s choice wert thou alone!
To thee the Word made flesh,
Was subject as a Son.

Hail, holy Joseph, hail!
Teach us our flesh to tame
And, Mary, keep the hearts
That love thy husband’s name.
Mother of Jesus! bless,
And bless, ye Saints on high,
All meek and simple souls
That to Saint Joseph cry.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 22 April – St Leo (Died c547) Bishop and Confessor of Sens

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Saint of the Day – 22 April – St Leo (Died c547) Bishop and Confessor of Sens, in France. A shepherd of great wisdom and graced with diplomatic skills, he protected and defender his flock in Sens, reformed the Clergy and refused to allow even the King and fellow Bishops to deny the rights of the Church and his faithful sheep. This zealous Prelate served within his See for around 22 years.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Sens, St Leo, Bishop and Confessor.”

Sens Cathedral Stained Glass

Leo was the 16th Bishop of Sens after Paul and was a a prominent figure in 6th Century Gaul. Leo emerges from the mists of time as a wise and zealous Prelate.

His presence at the Councils of Orléans in 533 and 538 testifies to the authority he enjoyed while his impassioned letter to King Childebert I, aimed at preventing the creation of a Diocese in Melun at the expense of Sens, reveals his diplomatic skill and concern for the good of his Church.

An intriguing letter of remonstrance to Saint Remigius of Reims, co-signed by 2 further Bishops, offers a glimpse of his intransigence in the face of internal disciplinary issues within the Clergy.

His death which occurred around 547, is commemorated today, a date found in the Roman and and in the Hieronymian Martyrologies and too, in ancient litanies of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH

The Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph, Notre-Dames de Betharam / Our Lady of Betharam, France (1503), St Pope Soter, St Pope Vaius – Martyrs and the Saints for 22 April

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The Solemnity of the Patronage of St Joseph
Wednesday preceding the Third Sunday after Easter:
Few Catholics are likely familiar with the Eastertide Solemnity of St Joseph.
According to Father Francis Xavier Lasance (1860-1946) it was instituted during the hostile occupation of Rome by the Troops of the Italian King, Victor Emmanuel II. The Pope proclaimed St Joseph the Patron of the oppressed Household of the Faith, entrusting to St Joseph, the defence of Holy Mother Church.In the beginning, this Feast Day was observed on the Third Sunday after Easter but when Pope St Pius X reformed the Liturgical Calendar to restore the Sunday Offices to prominence over those of the Saints, the second Feast of St Joseph was moved to the Wednesday preceding the Third Sunday after Easter.
In 1911, the Feast was raised to a Double of the First Class and it was assigned an Octave after it was moved to the Wednesday before the Third Sunday after Easter.
It is a Common Octave, so the Octave may or may not be commemorated on the intra Octave days depending on the rank of the Feasts which occur during the Octave.
While this Feast day is not in the 1962 Missal, it is still kept by Priests who celebrate Holy Mass according to the pre-1955 reforms.

Notre-Dames de Betharam / Our Lady of Betharam, France (1503) – 22 April:
Saint Bernadette Soubirous frequently visited the Shrine of Betharram. In fact, the rosary beads that Bernadette used when praying with the Blessed Virgin during the first apparition at Lourdes had come from the Betharram Shrine and the priest to whom she was sent after the apparitions, was Saint Michel Garicoïts (1797-1863) the Priest of Betharram. He it was who alone believed Bernadette’s accounts of the apparitions at Lourdes. He was Canonised in 1947. About St Michel Garicoits here: https://anastpaul.com/2019/05/14/saint-of-the-day-14-may-saint-michel-garicoits-1797-1863/
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/22/notre-dames-de-betharam-our-lady-of-betharam-france-1503/

St Pope Caius I (Died 296) Martyr, Bishop of Rome from 17 December 283 to his death in 296. Christian tradition makes him a native of the Dalmatian city of Salona, today Solin near Split, the son of a man also named Caius and a member of a noble family related to the Emperor Diocletian.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/22/saint-of-the-day-22-april-saint-pope-caius-i-died-613/

St Pope Soter (Died c174) Martyr, Bishop of Rome from c167 to his death c 174. The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Rome, on the Appian Way, the birthday of St Soter, Pope and Martyr.”
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/22/saint-of-the-day-st-pope-soter-died-c-174/

St Abel McAedh
St Aceptismas of Hnaita

Saint Altfried (Died 849) the Third Bishop of Münster from (839–849) and Abbot of Essen-Werden and Helmstedt. Born in the 9th Century, n Friesland (in modern Netherlands) and died on 22 April 849 of natural causes. Altfried was a nephew of St Ludger (c 742-809) and his second successor in the See of Münster, as well as a successor as Abbot of the Abbey of Essen-Werden (founded by St Ludger). The second successor was also a close relative, St Gerfried of Münster. Altfried also wrote a comprehensive Vita of St Ludger.
St Altfried’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/22/saint-of-the-day-22april-saint-altfried-of-munster-died-849/

St Apelles of Smyrna
St Arwald
St Epipodius of Lyon
St Euflamia

Blessed Francis OFM (1251-1322) Priest of Fabriano of the Order of the Friars Minor, Theologian, Spiritual Writer, renowned Preacher. He was Beatified on 1 April 1755 after Pope Pius VI.
His Fervent Life of Love:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/22/saint-of-the-day-22-april-blessed-francis-of-fabriano-ofm-1251-1322-priest/

St Helimenas
St Joseph of Persia
St Leo (Died c547) Bishop and Confessor of Sens

St Leonides Adamantius (Died 202) Martyr of Alexandria – Layman – Father of Origen (Adamantius) Philosopher, Rhetorician, a great scholar. Died by beheading in 202 at Alexandria, Egypt.
His Life and Death
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/22/saint-of-the-day-22-april-saint-leonides-adamantius-of-alexandria-died-202-martyr/

St Lucius of Laodicea
Blessed Maria Gabriella Sagheddu
St Opportuna of Montreuil
St Senorina

St Theodore of Sykeon (Died 613)
About St Theordore:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/22/saint-of-the-day-22-april-st-theodore-of-sykeon/

St Virginio

Blessed Wolfhelm (c1020-1091) Abbot of Brauweiler Abbey, near Cologne, Theologian, Writer, Defender of the Doctrine of the Church and of the property of the Church, Miracle-worker.
His Zealous Faith:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/22/saint-of-the-day-22-april-blessed-wolfhelm-of-brauweiler-c1020-1091-abbot-o/

Martyrs of Persia: Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Laity who were Martyred in Persia and celebrated together. Several of them have their stories related in the Acta of Saints Abdon and Sennen.